


Marauders Oneshots

by imcrapatthiswritingshitbutitry



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Werewolf Remus Lupin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23327251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imcrapatthiswritingshitbutitry/pseuds/imcrapatthiswritingshitbutitry
Summary: Just a collection of Marauders oneshots - mainly featuring Wolfstar. Probably no OCs, but I don't know yet. Lots of fluff and angst, possibly a little smut, but not loads.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 1689
Kudos: 85





	1. Page 394

Sirius woke up at five thirty in the morning – unusually early for him, as he was normally not a morning person. It took him a few seconds to remember what day it was, then grinned excitedly to himself before rushing out of bed to wake up James and Peter – also checking on Remus, who was still asleep. 

He woke James, clamping his hand down on his mouth before he could cry out and possibly wake the other two boys. James glared at him, but didn’t do much else, just struggled around, trying to wriggle away from Sirius grip. He succeeded with a smile but didn’t say anything. He stood up and straightened out his pyjamas, beckoning for Sirius to follow him to Peter’s bed. 

After waking him up, James and Peter started getting dressed and showering to give Sirius some time alone with Remus. They did remind him, however, to put a silencing charm on the bed before doing anything, which just made him grin mischievously and roll his eyes. 

He carefully opened Remus’ bed curtains, ignoring the wolf-whistles from James. He closed the red curtains again, then slid under the covers to join his werewolf boyfriend, who grunted in annoyance at the disruption of his sleep and turned his back to the other boy. Sirius just laughed. 

“Happy birthday, Moony,” whispered Sirius in Remus’ ear, making him laugh a little too. 

The werewolf grunted again but turned back around to hug his boyfriend close to him, closing his eyes sleepily after just being woken up. “Thank you, Pads. Love you,” he mumbled. 

“I love you too, Moons. My Moony. I love you,” said Sirius, grinning. “I’m so lucky to have you. Today’s gonna be all about you, I promise. You deserve everything good that happens today.” 

“You’re so cute, Pads,” said Remus, opening his eyes just to look at the smiling boy in front of him. He was gorgeous even this early in the morning and after having just woken up too, with his shoulder-length black hair tucked nicely behind his ears, his misty grey eyes sparkling in the minimal sunlight reaching the couple through the curtains.

“Will you two lovebirds hurry the fuck up, please?” called James. “I know it’s a Saturday, but I would like some breakfast today.” 

“James, it’s five fucking A.M. on my bloody birthday,” replied Remus, a smirk on his scarred face. “If I wanna spend it with my twat of a boyfriend, then I will.” 

“Alright, Moony,” said James. They could hear in his voice that he was trying not to laugh. “Happy birthday, by the way, mate!” 

Remus thanked him, then after a final hug, with a lot of kissing, Sirius dragged his boyfriend out of the bed to open his presents and cards before breakfast. Remus agreed reluctantly. He couldn’t help laughing along with Sirius as he hurriedly tried to get the other boy dressed and ready for the day. Remus had to admit – it was adorable. 

After everyone was showered and dressed, Sirius excitedly stacked the presents on the end of Remus’ bed, making a little pyramid. Remus beamed in awe, and Sirius couldn’t help giving him another birthday kiss. James rolled his eyes while Peter looked away, a small smile on his face. 

“Go on, then!” said Sirius impatiently. “Open them!” 

“You know, you really are like an excited little puppy,” said Remus with amusement, moving toward the mound of wrapped gifts – most in crimson and gold (Gryffindor colours) paper. “Your Animagus form makes a lot of sense.”

“Open mine last, cos I want you to spend the longest looking at it,” said Sirius and Remus agreed, with a little confused shrug, but said nothing else. 

He got books and chocolate from both his parents and Lily. Marlene and Dorcas got him an array of sweets with Chocolate Frogs and Berti Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Lily and Mary had chipped into the sweet collection too – buying a range of muggle treats as well. James, Peter and Remus’ parents had all come together to buy him a new gold watch as it was his 17th – a wizarding tradition according to James. Peter had bought a big hardback copy of a muggle book he’d asked for as well as more chocolate, and James had got him a denim jacket and a few books Lily had recommended. 

He’d left Sirius’ present until last, as demanded, and his boyfriend was now literally jumping up and down with anticipation. Remus glanced suspiciously over at him, then James, who just shrugged. He sighed then tore off the paper, a look of confusion on his face when he found an ordinary hardback copy of The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts by Arsenius Jigger. 

Remus frowned, looking to Sirius for help. The other boy was still smiling eagerly, waiting for the big surprise. “Turn to page 394,” he said mysteriously, making Remus even more confused and suspicious as he knew that was the werewolf page. 

He flicked through the book – every page was completely normal – until getting to the page requested, and a pleasantly exasperated smile spread on his face. Instead of the snarling image of a wolf like usual, there was a picture of a blushing Remus Lupin holding his boyfriend’s hand waving up at him. Sirius had even changed most of the text; he’d changed the M.O.M. rating from a XXXXX to a X with a little note in brackets reading: ‘He folds his socks, for Merlin’s sake, forgive me for not trembling in fright.’ Remus couldn’t help laughing at that.

“Moony, could you please tell me where one can commonly find werewolves?” asked Sirius, grinning like an idiot as he watched Remus’ expression. 

The werewolf’s eyes darted along the page, skipping over all the other edits (werewolves apparently own fifty over-sized knitted jumpers, and love chocolate, and can’t be frightening even if they try). 

He found what Sirius had asked for, and replied with an amused smile, “In Sirius Black’s arms, hang on, does this say… or bed?” he said. 

“Correct,” said Sirius, still beaming and bursting with excitement. “So, what do you think?” 

Remus laughed a little. “I love it. And I love you. Thank you, Pads.” 

“Love you too, Moony,” replied Sirius with a shy little grin. “And, you’re very welcome.”


	2. Wolfstar Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Remus and Sirius have nightmares and accidentally wake each other. They are the only people to turn to when each other needs comforting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I think it's a pretty huge headcanon that both Sirius and Remus got nightmares about their family and being a werewolf respectively - so here are their reactions to when they have to comfort each other etc.

The curtains around Remus’ bed moved a little as the boy on the other side pulled it open. It was Sirius. Remus was in the corner, crying silently and shaking a bit. He’d just woken up from one of the biggest and worst nightmares he’d ever had, even though he was thirteen now and should be way too old for such stupid fears and waking up at night like this. 

He felt even more embarrassed by the fact that one of his best friends had obviously heard him and was watching him cry in the corner like a frightened toddler. He hated that it was Sirius as well – the coolest, most chilled out of the four of them. Remus could never imagine seeing Sirius curled up in a corner, crying and hyperventilating like he was all because of a stupid dream. 

“Moony,” whispered Sirius. “Hey, Moons, are you alright?” 

When Remus didn’t answer, he sat on the bed, closed the curtains around them again and used his wand to make a dim light. He spoke gently again, “Remus, are you okay, mate?” 

Feeling like a deer in the headlights, Remus just nodded. It was an obvious lie and Sirius didn’t believe him for a single second. The frightened boy was still shaking and crying a little, so he clearly wasn’t fine. 

“Moony, what’s up?” Sirius asked him quietly. “It’s three in the morning, mate, and you’re having a fucking panic attack. You’re clearly not alright, so stop lying and just talk to me. I'm not gonna just leave you like this. I'd be a crap friend, if I did.” 

“It - it’s nothing really,” mumbled Remus, feeling more ashamed than he ever had before. He wasn’t sure if he was blushing, or just going red because he was still panicked from the bad dream. 

“Nightmare?” said Sirius gently. 

Remus didn’t know how he'd guessed that, but didn't ask. Little did he realise, Sirius was a lot more familiar with this whole situation than Remus seemed to think. 

“You can talk to me about it, mate. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to. I'm not gonna force you, but... well, talking can help, sometimes.” 

Remus didn't say anything, but had now successfully stopped shaking so violently and his silent sobbing had mostly subsided too. 

“Would – err – would you mind telling me about it?” asked Sirius kindly. 

Remus took a deep breath, struggling to find his voice and enough energy to reply after the anxiety attack. He sat there for a few seconds in the silence, breathing in deeply and slowly. Sirius offered to give him a hug, which he accepted and after another thirty seconds or so, he’d calmed down enough to talk. 

“It it was him, Sirius,” said Remus quietly. This wouldn't have made sense to anyone else, but Sirius thought he understood what he meant. 

“Who?” 

“The - the werewolf who… the one that bit me…” Remus continued, desperately trying not to get worked up again. “He was attacking me… and… then him… it… him and me… we attacked… and… we it you… and… James and Peter… I think… erm… you - you all died… because of me… You all died… and - and it was all my fault…” 

Remus was crying again now – not full-on, just with a few tears. He was shaking a bit more too, after the reminders of the dream. Sirius put his arm around Remus’ shoulders. He felt them quivering as the boy cried, not saying anything until he’d calmed down. 

“Moony, it’s okay,” said Sirius soothingly. “It’s alright. Look, I'm alive. We're all alive and well. Remus, everyone gets nightmares. It's okay. Everything’s going to be fine; I promise.” 

“I’m scared, Sirius,” whispered Remus, leaning his head on Sirius’ shoulder. “I – I’m a monster… I don’t want to hurt you… I – I’d never forgive myself…” 

“Remus Lupin, you’re not a monster. You’re an amazing friend and we all love you, okay. Hey, budge over and I’ll stay here tonight." 

*********************************************************************************

Sirius was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, trying to slow his panicked breathing. He wasn’t crying, just frozen stiff with tension and fear. His fists were clenched, and he wasn’t under the duvet or blankets of his bed as he was sweating with the heat of the panic. He jumped when the curtain on his left was pulled back, tensing further. It was Remus, who put his hands up like a surrender when Sirius flinched away slightly, then sat on the edge of the bed. 

“Sirius,” he said quietly. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Sirius, not looking over. 

“I don’t believe you. You wouldn’t be like this if you were.” 

“Just a dream.” 

“A nightmare?” 

Sirius nodded, moving over so Remus could get nearer, but not looking away from the canopy of his bed. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Sirius shook his head. 

“Alright, well, I’m here if you ever need me,” said Remus, moving like he was going to leave and go back to his own bed. “Try and get some sleep, yeah.” 

But, just before Remus could close the curtains, Sirius stopped him, putting his clammy, warm hand on his elbow and meeting his eyes. “Stay,” he said. “Please, Rem. Don’t leave me.” 

Remus just smiled and got back on the bed, closing the curtain again. “Alright, then. I'll stay. It's okay, Sirius, I'm here.”


	3. Pre-moon Wolfstar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K, this one's just cute in my opinion.   
> Basically, Remus is ill before the full moon and Sirius takes him to the dorms to look after him (they're together at this point) and Rem gets a little insecure about his scars so Sirius makes it his mission to cheer him up.

“Remus,” said Sirius, concerned. The four boys were on their way to the last lesson of the day: Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. “You don’t look well, mate. Are you alright?” 

Remus just nodded, almost tripping over with exhaustion, immediately proving to the other boys he was lying. Sirius looked over anxiously at James, who shrugged helplessly.   
When they got to the classroom, Remus practically collapsed into his seat next to Sirius, resting his head on the desk, fighting to keep his eyes open. James and Peter were behind them; both kept looking nervously at the werewolf in front of them. He was clearly unwell and they all seriously doubted he’d make it through this lesson as well as tomorrow’s lessons before the full moon. 

Luckily for the three boys, McGonagall came over, glancing worriedly at Remus. She moved her hand to feel his temperature, a frown on her face. “Mr Lupin, I think you ought to go and see Madam Pomfrey; you don’t look at all well.” 

“I’m – I’m okay, professor,” said Remus. 

“Sorry, Mr Lupin, but I’m going to have to disagree. You look ready to faint. Mr Black’s going to take you to the hospital wing, okay? I won’t expect to see you tomorrow either,” she said. “Take as long as you need to recover. Sirius may stay with you, and I’m sure Mr Potter will take notes for you both today.” 

“Yeah, come on, Moony,” said Sirius, standing up and packing his books. Remus hadn’t even unpacked his yet. Sirius took his boyfriend’s bag then helped him up and out of the classroom, smiling and winking to his best friend on the way out – who just smiled back. 

Sirius helped him all the way to their common room, almost carrying the taller, but skinnier boy up the stairs. He said the password to the Fat Lady, dumped their bags in the common room, then helped Remus up to the dorms, where he collapsed onto his bed with a small groan.

“You alright there, Moony?” said Sirius with a small laugh as he took off his robes, leaving just his school shirt, tie and trousers. His shirt was untucked, top button undone, and his tie just hung loosely around his neck. 

In reply to the question, Remus just stuck his middle finger up at the other boy, which only made Sirius laugh more. He went over to Remus’ bed and helped him sit up. “Let’s get you into something comfier, yeah?” he said, and Remus nodded. 

Sirius carefully pulled off his boyfriend’s jumper, then untied his tie, folding all the clothes away neatly, just like Remus always did. He then went to undo the buttons of his shirt, but Remus’ right hand shot up to stop him, gripping Sirius’ wrist. Grey eyes met amber brown, seeing glimmers of fear and anxiety. 

“Come on, Rem,” said Sirius gently. “Don’t you want to be more comfortable. Cos, trust me, pyjamas are much comfier than school uniform.” 

He tried to shake Remus’ grip, gave up then attempted to use his other hand to undo the buttons. He stopped, however, when the other boy tried to stop him, realising just how uncomfortable he was. 

“Hey, Moons, what’s up?” said Sirius, frowning with worry. “Have I upset you? Did I say something?” 

Remus shook his head. “No…” 

“Then what is it?” asked Sirius. 

Wrapping his arms around his torso protectively and shuffling away from the other boy a little, Remus mumbled ashamedly, “Scars.” 

Sirius sighed lovingly. “Rem, I’ve seen your scars before.” 

“Not up close… not like this…” said Remus, staring at the ground. Sirius didn’t say anything, so Remus continued, not looking up. “I don’t want you to see how horrible it is. It’s disgusting. I’m disgusting.” 

“Remus Lupin. Never say that!” said Sirius harshly, using his left hand to force Remus to look up at him. “You’re adorable and gorgeous and an amazing boyfriend. I don’t know how I got lucky enough to have someone like you in my life.” 

“I ask myself that every day,” said Remus quietly. “I don’t deserve you. You deserve someone whole. Someone who’s actually human. I’m neither of those things. I’m a monster, Sirius. A monster like me doesn’t deserve someone like you.” 

“Remus John Lupin, how many times do we fucking have to tell you you’re not a bloody monster,” said Sirius. “I don’t care that you’re a werewolf. I love you for who you are, not what you are. And a few stupid scars aren’t gonna change that.” 

Remus smiled a little shyly, still looking down, with his arms around his chest. 

“Now, will you please let me help you?” said Sirius, smiling at the other boy’s smile. 

Remus nodded, but didn’t move his arms. Sirius tried to get past the protection, but Remus’ arms were locked stiff. After a tiny bit of persuasion, however, he moved, freeing up his shirt buttons for Sirius, but stared down at the ground in embarrassment. 

As soon as all the buttons were undone, Remus moved his arms again to try and cover as much of his torso as he could, looking away from Sirius self-consciously.

“Moony, move your arms, mate,” said Sirius, taking a gentle hold of his boyfriend’s wrists to move him. Remus didn’t fight back. Sirius moved him so his arms were almost behind his back, holding him up, but he was still hunched over from trying to hide himself. “Come on, Rem, sit up properly.” 

Eyes still fixed stubbornly on the ground, Remus straightened out his back, so his chest moved forward, highlighting the biggest, most prominent scars that littered his front.   
There was silence as Sirius scanned over the pink, white and creamy claw marks that cluttered on his boyfriend’s chest. The young werewolf, on the other hand, was staring down at the floor, eyes filling with tears of shame and nervousness. He hated, hated this, and just wanted Sirius to let him get covered up again. He felt humiliated and wanted to bury under his duvet, never to come out again. 

He tensed when Sirius’ fingers brushed right down his front, over his heart, down past his stomach, tracing one of the largest scars. He still didn’t look up, though. Then, silence and stillness again. 

“Beautiful,” whispered Sirius. 

This, it appeared, was enough to get Remus to look up in disbelief. “What…?” he said, almost as quietly as Sirius had spoken. 

“You’re beautiful, Remus,” said Sirius, looking him directly in the eyes. 

“No, I’m not…” 

Sirius interrupted him. “You are, Rem. And you don’t get a say in the matter, anyway. You can’t see yourself like I can… and, Merlin, you’re gorgeous.”


	4. Outed Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I never know what to call these oneshots tbh.   
> This one is more of an AU, really. It's set roughly in their fourth year, maybe third. And the whole school finds out about Remus being a werewolf, basically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, before he's outed to the whole school, the Marauders already knew what he was, so did the professors, but Lily and everyone else didn't. I might do a part 2 to this one, but I don't know yet.

“Remus, I understand that this is an incredibly difficult situation. I’ve spoken to the Ministry and we’ve talked it through. I will not be losing my job, and nobody will be in any severe trouble… however, you’re left with a choice,” explains Dumbledore. “You may stay at school if you’d like to, but… everyone would have to know. The Ministry has – reluctantly – agreed to let you stay, on those terms. Or, you may leave the school, if you’d prefer.”

Remus is standing one side of the desk, with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall standing on the other side, facing him. He’s nervous but is trying to hide it. 

“I… erm… I wanna stay…” replies Remus quietly, sounding a bit unsure. “You’ve all given me an amazing chance by just letting me be here… and… thank you, sir.” 

“Okay, Remus. And, it’s a pleasure teaching you. We’re glad you’re staying. You’re an amazing student,” says McGonagall. “It’s going to be extremely tough, but you’ll be okay. You have us, and not everybody will judge you for it.” 

“It’ll be announced tonight at dinner,” says Dumbledore, smiling pityingly. “So be prepared, and you can come and see either of us any time you like.” 

“Okay… thank you, sir,” says Remus. “If you don’t mind… I’m gonna go and just relax for a bit, before… before… well, you know…” 

*****************

“Hey, Rem, what’s up?” says Sirius to his friend worriedly. Remus hadn’t spoken properly to them for hours. He’d answered simple questions but nothing else. The other three Marauders were all nervous about him but hadn’t been able to get him to talk to them. 

When Remus didn’t say anything and just shrugged slightly, not making eye contact, Sirius glances at James who looks just as concerned as he feels. They talk throughout the meal, trying to engage Remus, but he just doesn’t contribute. After about an hour, the usual routine of dinner is disturbed when Dumbledore stands to talk to the hall, a small-ish man stood to the side of him. Remus tenses as he sees he’s the worker from the Beast Division at the Ministry. 

“Good evening, everyone,” says Dumbledore, his eyes lingering at the far end of the Gryffindor table – where Remus and his friends are. “My friend from the ministry wishes to speak to you all about a rather sensitive subject. Beforehand, however, I would like to remind you that you are all fantastic students and I hope you can all be open-minded and understanding of the situation that’s about to be explained to you.” 

With that, Dumbledore steps aside, letting the man come forward to the front. He has a serious look about him, like there’s not a single cheerful bone in his body. He frowns down at the rows of students, looking no different than the day he questioned Remus about his condition. 

“I won’t make this harder than it needs to be,” he says. “But we have to inform you of a discovery we made earlier this month. An animal has been living amongst you all, without any adequate safety precautions. It’s dangerous and it should be nowhere near a school. A werewolf.” 

At that word, all of the Marauders’ eyes look directly at their fourth friend, who’s staring adamantly at the floor, ignoring the eyes on him. His scarred face was blushing, and Sirius could see he was shaking slightly, tears collecting in his eyes.

“This thing has been living with you all for years, and, despite the Ministry’s efforts, it will be continuing it’s education here. However, we have come to a… a reluctant agreement. The creature can stay here, as long as you are all aware of who and what it is. I won’t drag this business on any longer. Werewolf, reveal yourself.” 

There’s a small pause. Remus’ eyes dart to Professor Dumbledore who smiles reassuringly and moves his hand, telling him to stand up. His eyes locked back on the floor; the boy stands up. He hears the gasps throughout the hall, and sees the people shuffling away, eyeing their friends in shock. He sees all this, but doesn’t look up, doesn’t do anything. 

After the shock sinks in, the muttering begins, and it gets louder and louder. Sirius watches as the guy from the Ministry leaves, causing the chaos and leaving, not a care in the world. James stands up, Sirius following suit. He gently nudges Remus towards the door. 

“Get out of here!” he says, trying to be kind. 

Remus is still frozen in fear, maybe shock, so it takes another push to get him away from it all. He runs – out of the hall, down all the corridors and up the several flights of stairs to the common room, then his dorm. He jumps onto his bed, shutting the curtains around him. He was fifteen – too old to be so stupid – but he hugged his pillow tight to his chest, buried his face into it and cried. 

*****************

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, McGonagall had been watching the four Marauders, seeing everything that happened. She wasn’t sure, but she had thought the other boys had known about Remus’ condition, but now she wasn’t so sure. She’d seen Sirius pushing him. She’d seen the fear in Remus’ eyes and the panic in his friends’. She’d thought they might be okay with it, but who could ever tell with those boys? They were completely unpredictable. 

The other three had run after the fourth about a minute or two later, after speaking to a few other students – Lily Evans was one of them, Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadows as well. 

After another minute, McGonagall knew she needed to check on the boys. Who knew what they were capable of? For all she knew, Remus could be in danger. She left the hall and hurried towards the Gryffindor common room. She said the password to the Fat Lady portrait, entered the room and straightened out her robes before heading to the dormitories where she assumed the boys would be.   
She knocked before opening the door, but soon realised she needn’t have worried. She walked in to see all four boys on a bed. Sirius and James had their arms around Remus who was laughing through his tears. The other three were giggling too. They were happy. 

They all looked around when McGonagall entered. She said nothing, though, just smiled, closed the door and left. She knew Remus would be fine. She knew he’d be okay with those boys as his friends. She knew that they would look after him. 

*****************

“Come on, guys,” said Sirius loudly as they ran. 

He had grabbed James’ hand and was pulling him through corridors and up stairs towards their common room. Peter was following as closely behind as he could. They raced through the portrait after Sirius had yelled the password from across the corridor, then up to their dorm room. He knew Remus would be there – he’d once told Sirius that that was where he felt safe. His dorm, at Hogwarts. With his friends. So, Sirius wanted to complete that image – to make him feel absolutely safe. 

They knock, but don’t wait for an answer before storming into the dorm. It looks empty at first, but the curtains around Remus’ bed are drawn, and they could hear the heavy breathing from crying coming from behind them. Sirius frowned at James in concern, who met his gaze with an almost identical look of worry. 

Gently, they pull back the curtain. Remus’ eyes widen and he shuffles away, shaking with the fright of it all. Sirius clambers quickly up onto the bed, putting his arm around his fearful friend, not fazed by the boy’s reluctance. 

“Remus. Remus,” he says kindly. “Everything’s going to be okay.” 

“No, it’s not. They all hate me,” says Remus, still shaking, his tears subsiding a bit. 

“They don’t, Rem,” says James joining the other two on the bed and also putting his arm around the werewolf. “Well… some of them might, but they’re bigoted idiots.” 

Remus smiled a touch at that. 

“And, you’ll always have us, Moony. Always,” agreed Sirius. 

Remus smiled wider. 

“Plus, if it makes you feel better, think of how many people hate James and me after our famous pranks,” said Sirius with a goofy grin. 

Remus couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You guys are awesome,” he said. 

“We know.” 

The four of them laughed. That was when McGonagall opened the door. She said nothing, though. Just smiled and left. Sirius smiled too. He knew his best mate would be alright as long as he had them, and McGonagall, and Dumbledore. He’d always have them. Always.


	5. Outed Wolf II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the 'Outed Wolf' - this one's a bit longer.

There’s a quiet knock on the door a couple of minutes later and James stands up to answer it. He opens it and stands defensively in the doorway as soon as he sees the five girls there. They are all in Gryffindor and first-years too. They have classes together and the nine of them have become relatively friendly with each other – not on a best friend level, but still friendly. 

“What do you want?” he says, trying to block the other three boys, specifically Remus, from their view. After what has just happened in the Great Hall, he knows he has to be wary of everyone. For the safety of his friend. 

“We want to talk to Remus,” says Lily confidently, her arms crossed. 

“What for?” 

“We just want to talk to him,” says Marlene. 

“What for?” repeats James, stubbornly. 

“Look,” says Dorcas, stepping forward slightly, a hand on her hip. “We’re not gonna beat him up or anything, and you can be there too, if you’re really that desperate to be his bloody bodyguard.” 

James frowns, his eyes scanning over them for half a minute. “Fine.” 

He steps aside and the girls file in, standing in a group in front of the other three boys, who are still on the bed. Remus tenses, curling in on himself more and Sirius just tightens the arm he still has around him, hugging him comfortingly, trying to calm him as much as he can. Remus’ heart is pounding and he’s still trembling slightly under their intense gazes. 

“Remus,” says Lily, sitting on the edge of his bed. This makes Remus flinch slightly, but he tries to hide it from them. “I want you to listen to us.” 

“I – I’m sorry for – for not telling you,” says Remus in a shaky, whispered voice. 

“Remus,” repeats Lily, a little harsher than before, “listen to us.” 

“We understand why you didn’t tell us, Rem,” says Marlene. “That’s a tough thing to have to live with and I think you, Sirius, Dorcas and I understand prejudice more than most. So, we understand why you didn't say." 

She looks over at her girlfriend who smiles back and says, “We’re not going to judge you for something you can’t help. That would make us hypocrites.” 

“You’re our friend, Remus,” says Alice quietly. “We still love you. Werewolf or not.”

Remus still looks uncertain, his eyes scanning over everyone around him. They’re all smiling. Everyone looks genuine, but he’s still unsure. He doesn’t know what to say, so just stays silent. 

Lily seems to notice his anxiety so cheerfully says, “Right, Peter, Mary, Alice, why don’t you go down to the kitchens? I don’t know about you, but some of us” – she looks at Remus pointedly when she says this, a small smile on her lips – “didn’t really eat much this evening, which, I suppose, is understandable. And, let’s just have some fun, yeah?” 

It takes them a while for them all to bring Remus out of his shell, but they do. He’s quiet the whole time but seems actually happy by the end of it. He’s smiling and laughing along with the boys’ jokes, not joining in as much as he usually would, but still having a good time. 

Marlene and Dorcas are the first to leave, claiming to be tired, but they aren’t convincing. Mary and Alice leave a little while later. Peter gets tired too, but as they are in the boys’ dorm, he has to just put up with it and wait for the others. As soon as Remus says he is tired, though, about half an hour after Peter, the boys and Lily immediately agree to pack away. 

“Remus,” says Lily kindly just before she leaves, “You know that we honestly don’t care, right?” 

He nods but isn’t looking Lily in the eyes. “Yeah…” he says hesitantly. 

“Seriously, Remus,” she insists. “I’m sure it’s not going to be easy for you, but we all just wanted you to know that we’re all still here for you. We always will be, Rem.” 

Remus smiles timidly. “Thank you.” 

“You can talk to us any time you like, okay? We’re all here for you,” she says, smiling. “But – err – if I were you, never take Sirius to the Ministry of Magic because he might actually kill them.” 

*******************

The next morning, James is up first. He’s already dressed when Remus gets up, small bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. He yawns but smiles over at him. James smiles back before waking up the other two boys, who groan but get up after a few minutes. Sirius complains about having to get up for a whole half an hour before he does and they’re all ready to go to breakfast. 

They’re all about to leave the dorm, James and Sirius in front of the other two, and they’ve opened the door, when Remus just stops in his tracks. He stops walking, stopping just behind the door of their dorm. He’s breathing quicker than normal, and his eyes are locked on the floor, but he says nothing. 

The other three instantly surround him, Sirius resting a hand on his shoulder and trying to bring him into a hug. Remus doesn’t resist but he doesn’t hug him back.

“Remus, mate, are you okay?” says Sirius gently. 

The young werewolf just nods, clearly lying. 

“Listen, Rem,” says James, “it’s going to be okay. I know it’s probably not going to be fun out there for you, but we’re here. We’re not going to leave you.”

“We’ll stop them doing anything,” says Sirius. “They won’t mess with you while we’re here.” 

Remus doesn’t seem convinced but follows the other boys out of the dorm. As the atmosphere in the common room changes when the boys are spotted, Sirius and James move to be either side of their werewolf friend, like shields, marching him through the crowds and to the Great Hall. 

Lily and the other girls are already there when they arrive, and she beckons them over with a smile. Remus sits next to her and Sirius goes next to him, while James and Peter go opposite, meaning he’s surrounded by his friends, just in case. 

They all notice the glares from the other students and the whispering. Most of them don’t even bother to whisper and everyone can hear the mutterings of “monster” and “dangerous creature.” The words seem to echo around in Remus’ head, bouncing off the sides of his skull, blocking out any other noise and giving him a headache. 

Sirius keeps shooting him nervous glances but doesn’t say anything as Remus puts his head in his hands, trying to block out everyone around him. He tenses when Sirius rests a hand on his shoulder. 

“Rem, come with me,” he says in a whisper before carefully leading the other boy out of the hall. 

They ignore the continued mutterings as they leave, taking a long route, going outside before coming back in again, on their way to Potions. Remus insists they go, not wanting to appear a coward by skiving, despite his increasing headache. 

When they’re outside the classroom, however, it all appears to be too much. As James and Peter are arriving, Sirius says, “Moony, those two can cover for us. You’re not well enough for Potions today, mate. Come on, please.” 

Remus gives in after a minute and allows himself to be led away. Sirius explains the plan to James, who agrees. On the way, however, they bump into Snape and a small group of other Slytherins. There are a couple of Ravenclaws with them too. Remus instantly tenses and Sirius takes out his wand threateningly, pointing it at the group, specifically Snape. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” says Snape, eyeing the wand while also taking out his own. “Tell me Lupin, what’s it like being an animal?” 

Remus says nothing and just stares at the ground, not even getting out his wand, despite the six enemy wands pointing at him. He didn’t look up at all. His shoulders are tense, up by his ears and, although Sirius hated to admit it, he looked ever-so-slightly like a cowering puppy. 

“Fuck off, Snivellus!” snaps Sirius, glaring daggers at the Slytherin. “Leave him alone!” 

A laugh comes from the group. 

“It’s pathetic, really, how you’re defending it,” sneers Snape, his hooked nose upturned in disgust. “The blood-traitor and the werewolf.” 

“Hogwarts' most disgusting couple,” says another Slytherin, joining in. 

Sirius sends a wordless curse at him before shooting another glance in Remus’ direction. The other boy still hasn’t got his wand out and is staring at the floor, his whole face flushing. 

The Slytherin sends a hex back at Sirius, who deflects it relatively easily with a shield charm. But, six against one is never going to word and it’s not long before a Body-Binging Curse hits Sirius straight in the chest and he falls back, arms and legs locked stiff. 

Remus is now alone, completely defenceless against the three Slytherins and three Ravenclaws – and at least four of them are older than he is. He still doesn’t move, frozen in fear and there’s a sickening feeling in his stomach, like he’s going to throw up, but still doesn’t move or say anything, not even to get his wand. 

“Now, how about an experiment?” says one of the Ravenclaws. Remus doesn’t know her name, but she’s tall and has a menacing smile. “Does silver really burn werewolves?” 

She looks like she already knows the answer, but Remus doesn’t question it, deciding it would be quicker to get it over with than to protest. His eyes dart down nervously to look at his friend, whose eyes are the only part of him that are still able to move freely. They meet Remus’ gaze, looking sad. 

One of the other Slytherin boys, that Remus thinks is called Goyle, but isn’t sure, and is two years above him, conjures invisible ropes that bind him tightly, cutting into his skin. He still doesn’t protest, though. 

The tall Ravenclaw girl takes a thin silver chain off from around her neck before stepping forward and pressing it against the back of Remus’ hand. He bites his lip and clamps his eyes shut to stop from crying out and when she removes it, there’s a deep, red mark in the shape of the chain. 

Snape conjures up a silver knife from somewhere, Remus is too scared to concentrate on the precise details, but just before he uses it, one of the Ravenclaw boys says, “If silver burns it, won’t it just immediately cauterise the wound?” 

“It’ll still hurt, though, and, I suppose it’ll stop it from bleeding to death,” says the Ravenclaw girl with a small shrug. 

Snape presses the knife up against Remus’ neck and he tries his best not to move out of the way, knowing they’ll probably be crueller the more he squirms. It burns, but the sharp edge doesn’t cut into his skin yet. Snape sneers, looking down at the still immobilised Sirius whose eyes seem to be pleading with him. The Slytherin boy says nothing, just makes the blade dig further into Remus’ neck while maintaining eye contact with the Gryffindor boy on the floor – Sirius’ eyes now full of raging anger, despite his total helplessness. 

The knife cut Remus a further seven times, mostly on the arms, neck and face – anywhere that wasn’t covered with his clothes. They’re only stopped by McGonagall coming around the corner. As soon as she sees what’s happening, she rushes over with her wand out, a dark look on her face, clearly furious. 

“Mr Snape!” she shouts, storming over. She points her wand at the group of six. “What on Earth have you done?” 

Obviously, it’s a rhetorical question and no one says anything. The don’t need to, though. McGonagall then undoes the curse on Sirius and gets rid of the invisible ropes binding Remus and gently checks his injuries before turning back to the group of bullies. 

“All eight of you will follow me to my office!” she says, still fuming. Sirius is surprised smoke isn’t billowing out of her ears. 

When they get there, she splits the two groups up, so Remus and Sirius are on her left with the other six on her right and she stands opposite them, in front of her desk. Her arms are crossed and she’s glaring at the three Slytherins and three Ravenclaws. 

She tries to tone down her anger before she releases her wrath on the group: “I am disgusted! This horrible sort of prejudice is the reason Mr Lupin and Professor Dumbledore didn’t tell everyone to begin with. I am ashamed to have you as students when this is how you treat your classmate! Mr Lupin cannot help being a werewolf, just like you can’t help being a girl or boy or anything else. This is appalling and if it was up to me, you’d all be expelled in an instant. However, it is not completely up to me, so I’m going to have to make do with giving all six of you detention for the rest of the year.” 

She then turns to the other two boys in the room. “Mr Lupin, Mr Black, I’d like you both to tell me your sides of the story. I know what I heard and saw, but I’d like to know what happened before that.” 

Remus says nothing, so after a few seconds, Sirius speaks up. He tells her he was going with Remus to the Gryffindor common room as he felt too ill to cope with potions – the young werewolf confirms this with a simple nod when asked. Sirius tells her they didn’t mean to start a fight when they found the other six, but he had to defend his friend the best he could. Remus also confirms that the only spells Sirius cast were in defence. 

When he’s finished, McGonagall frowns for a second before saying, “Right, so, the way I see it, neither Mr Black nor Mr Lupin did anything wrong and everything you did was defensive. So, I’ll be seeing you six” – she turned to the Slytherins and Ravenclaws again – “in detention every night after dinner, and I’ll have to write to your parents as well. You may go.” 

The six of them stand up and leave the room, without another word or glance at the two Gryffindor boys, while McGonagall fetches a tartan tin from a shelf by her desk. 

“Have a biscuit, both of you,” she says, handing them the tin. Sirius helps himself straight away, with a smile, but Remus is a lot more hesitant. “Go on, Mr Lupin. You may have two – you clearly need the sugar.” 

Eventually, Remus takes one. 

“Have another,” says McGonagall and he does after another pause. “Now, would either of you like some tea?” 

“No thanks, Professor,” says Sirius and Remus just shakes his head. 

After a small sigh, McGonagall continues, “Mr Lupin, are you okay?” 

Remus nods, but still doesn’t say anything, which prompts Sirius to put his left arm around his shoulders, bringing him in for a relaxed but comforting hug. 

“Moony, are you all right?” he says quietly. 

The werewolf still says nothing, staring at the floor of the office. His eyes do look up at Sirius slightly, out of the corner of his eye, but he still doesn’t say anything. 

“Mr Lupin,” says McGonagall, “not everyone in this school thinks like that. I can promise you, there are many of us who don’t care about something as small as lycanthropy.” 

“Small,” mumbles Remus bitterly. “If only.” 

McGonagall smiles a little grimly then says, “You two may have the day excused from lessons, if you wish. I’ll happily let your teachers know, and I’m sure Mr Potter can collect the notes for you both.” 

Sirius looks over at Remus, who looks unsure. At that moment, he takes control and decides for him by saying, “Yeah, all right. I reckon Rem could do with a break from everything and stuff, you know. Thanks, Professor.” 

“My pleasure. And, Mr Lupin, please remember, you’re always welcome to come and see myself or Professor Dumbledore about anything, if you need to.” 

“Thank you, Professor,” murmurs Remus. 

McGonagall offers them both another biscuit before they leave her office to head to the common room. Sirius keeps his arm around his friend and can’t help glancing at him nervously every few seconds. 

“I’m fine, Sirius,” says Remus, after the other boy’s fifth worried look. 

“I know, I know… it’s just… well, I just wanna double check.” 

“Yeah, well, I’m fine.” There’s a silence for a minute before Remus says, quietly, “Thanks for… for sticking up for me and all…” 

Sirius smiles. “It’s all right, mate,” he says. “I was watching everything, and I really wish I could’ve helped. I’m sorry. I should’ve done better.” 

“No, it’s fine,” says Remus. “Anyone else would’ve done nothing, so I’m grateful for pretty much anything at this point. It wasn’t your fault and it’s not really there’s either. I understand.”

Sirius stops walking, forcing Remus to stop too. They’re in the middle of a corridor, but everyone’s in lessons so it doesn’t matter. Sirius puts his hands on the other boy’s shoulders, looking right into his amber-brown eyes. 

He says, firmly, “Moony, you know that you don’t deserve what they did to you, right?” 

Remus’ eyes flicker downwards, away from Sirius’ as he says, “Yeah, of course” – a blatant lie. 

Sirius says nothing in reply and just brings his friend in for a hug, squeezing him slightly tighter than was probably usual for two friends, but neither of them cared. Remus blinks back the few tears gathering in his eyes and Sirius smiles sadly. 

“It’s okay, Rem,” he whispers. “Everything will be okay.”


End file.
